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Friday, April 1, 2011

Help from my Friends Friday - Paganos on the 1900 census

I am starting this new blog prompt as a way for genealogy bloggers to get help from fellow researchers on their smaller brick walls. Every once and a while we all need a little breather from our own research and this prompt is meant to get you to think for a moment about someone else's brick walls. It might just give you a fresh insight in to your own research. It is ideal as a prompt for some of the smaller genealogy bricks that need a fresh set of eyes.

I have spent all morning searching for the Pagano family, which I wrote about here, on the 1900 census. Actually, I've been looking for them on this document for a couple of years, but this morning was my most recent attempt. I refuse to believe that they were not counted. I have tried every trick I know for census searches: searching by first name only, searching by the mother's maiden name, searching page by page near every residence the family ever lived at. I even tried Steve Morse's great census search engines, but I got nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I may have found Filippo or Philip Pagano:

In this household is a Filippo Pagant, born January 1880 in Italy, immigrated in 1892 and was working as a barber. My Philip Pagano was a barber all his life, was born in January 1880 in Italy and immigrated in 1892. The Filippo on the census is listed as living at 264 W. 35th Street. In 1910, my Philip Pagano lived just blocks away at 422 W. 35th Street. It seems like too much of a coincidence to set aside, but I have no proof.

But what about the rest of the Paganos? The father, Salvatore, died in December 1899, so he is out of the picture. That leaves his wife, one son and two (or three) daughters to find on the census. Here is the information I have on the rest of the family:

Maria Rosa (Cassata) Pagano - wife of Salvatore, born in Italy circa 1858; immigrated circa 1896; also documented as Rose Pagano, Mary Pagano and Marie Pagano.
John Pagano - second son of Salvatore and Mary, born in Italy January 1883; immigrated circa 1897; given name is Giovanni, but found on all American documents as John.
Josephine Pagano - daughter of Salvatore and Mary, born in Italy March 1891; immigrated circa 1896; given name is Guiseppa, but listed on all American documents as Josephine.
Mary Pagano - daughter of Salvatore and Mary, born in New York City in 1899.
There may also be a third daughter, Concetta, born circa 1888.

All of the Paganos are listed on the 1910 census (except for Salvatore and Concetta) living together at 422 West 35th Street, Manhattan, New York. Later they move to the Bronx. Salvatore lived at 224 Chrystie Street, Manhattan, when he died in December 1899.

You may ask why is the 1900 census so important to your research? Well, frankly, it's not. It will not advance my knowledge of the family much more but I refuse to let it beat me! I appreciate any thoughts you may have on ways to put a beat down on this census and drag my Paganos out of it.